CRITTER CORNER
Why didn't I think of that?
Check out some great new products for your pets
Sunday, May 18, 2008
There are lots of products out there that will help pet owners with practically any issue. You just have to find them.
Here are a few:
Extras
Pill Pocket: If you've ever tried to give a dog or a cat a pill, you find out it isn't something they usually approve of or enjoy.
Some dogs have even mastered the art of licking off the peanut butter cleverly wrapped around the pill or chewing away the cheese into which the pill has been pushed. They look at you and spit out the pill.
Now Greenies has come up with a product called the Pill Pocket, which could foil even the most wily of canines. The tasty tidbit has a hole or a pocket into which the pill is inserted. Then you squeeze it shut.
Greenies said their research shows that 72 percent of pet owners have trouble giving medications to pets. And a recent study by veterinarians showed that when owners dry-pill a pet (just pushing the pill down the animal's throat) about 85 percent of those pills remain in the pet's throat five minutes later. That could leave them at risk for damage to the esophagus.
Pill pockets come in flavors — beef and chicken for dogs and chicken and salmon for cats — and can make the animal think it is getting a treat rather than a nasty pill.
Pork Chomps: If your dog is a chewer, there are lots of things out there. But if your dog gets tired of beef rawhide, how about trying pork?
Pork Chomps are baked pork skin chews that avoid some of the digestion problems with beef for some dogs. Made by Scott Pet, the twist chews were a hit with dogs from the newsroom. Scott claims an independent study found dogs preferred them to beef rawhide 9 to 1 and found the chews more readily consumed.
Depending on the size of the bag, the chews range from about $5 to $12 and are sold in many pet stores.
DogPause: Then there is the DogPause bowl for dogs that stick their whole faces into a bowl and gobble everything down in a few seconds.
Inventor Nancy Kerrigan heard her dog gag and decided to come up with a way to make the dog a slower eater by dividing the dish into four small feeding zones. Because the dog can't plunge its whole face into the food, it forces the dog to slow down. It can also be used for limiting portions because each zone holds about half a cup.
It sells for about $30.
Visit www.dogpausebowl.com for more details.
Scratch'n all: This is a nubby plastic pad that can be a relief to many animals, including horses, goats, cats, dogs, alpacas and others with an itch. The pads can bend around a corner or be connected together to form a long pad.
The pads allow animals to scratch to their heart's relief and to relieve stress.
There's a very cute video of a large cat in a zoo scratching on one of the pads on the company's Web site at www.scratchnall.com.
The pads sell for $9.99 each.
Defeat Da Fleas: And if you worry about using chemicals on your pet, but still want to get rid of fleas, Defeat Da Fleas is a nontoxic flea, tick, gnat and mosquito killer.
The company claims it is all-natural so it's safe on your dog, and also around your children.
The same company also makes Relieve De Stress and Ease the Quease to naturally ease anxiety or stress related to travel (family vacations are around the corner), fireworks, thunderstorms, etc., or help with motion sickness a dog may experience while traveling in a car, on a plane, boat and even on a train.
The entire line is made from essential oils and certified organic herbs. Check www.kathysanto.com for more details.
Dog obedience classes
The Dayton Dog Training Club has classes beginning May 27, with obedience for puppies, beginner, advanced and competition-level dogs for $70. There are also agility, conformation, tracking and other classes.
The nonprofit organization is at 3040 E. River Road in Moraine. For more information, call (937) 293-5219 or visit www.daytondogtraining.com.
Contact this reporter at (937) 225-2248 or ldenger @Dayton DailyNews.com.
